Local and State Headlines for Thursday, December 6th, 2018

posted by Mark Starling -
Dec 6, 2018

Snow Coming To WNC (Asheville, NC)

Western North Carolina is embracing for a winter weather wallop. Winter Storm Diego is continuing on its eastward track and is expected to impact the area beginning Saturday. Freezing rain is expected to turn over to snow on Sunday around Asheville, where some forecasters are currently predicting more than five inches. Higher elevations around Boone could see more than a foot of snow through Monday.

DOT Preparing Plows For Impending Storm (Asheville, NC)

The DOT is expected to start sending out snowplows as early as tonight ahead of this weekend's potential snowfall. Buncombe County's maintenance engineer told the Citizen-Times that 38 trucks will be ready to go and won't stop until all roads are clear when the expected storm moves out. Buncombe County has more than eight-million pounds of salt to use. Each plow will be running in 12-hour shifts.

House Addresses Absentee Ballots In Voter ID Amendment (Raleigh, NC)

Latest changes to North Carolina's Voter ID bill include rules for verifying absentee ballots. The state house yesterday passed an amended bill, which will now go back to the Senate. The absentee verifications are more in line with in-person requirements. The changes were made amid an investigation into alleged fraud on absentee ballots in the ninth district congressional race.

Man Arrested After Allegedly Trying To Steal Dogs (Asheville, NC)

A suspect is facing charges for allegedly trying to steal dogs in Asheville. Mitchell Mosley has been accused of snatching a puppy at Brother Wolf Animal Rescue before an employee stopped him. Asheville police officers arrested him this week after he showed up at the Asheville Humane Society. Mosley was charged with attempted larceny.

Millions Awarded For WNC Land Projects (Asheville, NC)

A load of land conservation and stream restoration projects in Western North Carolina will be funded thanks to a state grant. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund is awarding over 20-million-dollars to 54 projects. Some of the larger projects include additional land acquisitions for Headwaters State Forest in Transylvania County and Bobs Creek State Natural Area in McDowell County.

Endangered Red Wolves Arrive At Nature Center (Asheville, NC)

The Western North Carolina Nature Center is the new home for a pair of endangered red wolves. One was relocated from a Georgia park in late October, while the other just arrived last week from Chattanooga. The center has hopes that the wolves will mate. More than a dozen red wolves have been born at the Asheville center since the Species Survival Program began

Mount Holly Pastor Dies After Fire (Mount Holly, NC)

A Mount Holly church says its pastor died from injuries caused by a fire this week. Clayton Burch was flown to a Winston-Salem burn unit early Tuesday when his home next to the Goshen Free Will Baptist Church caught fire. The church will hold memorial services on Saturday at 2 p.m. on Catawba Avenue. Burch's wife was injured and released from the hospital.

Charlotte Observer Calls For New Election (Charlotte, NC)

The Charlotte Observer is calling for a new election in the un-certified Ninth Congressional race. The newspaper said troubling details of voter fraud has forced it to conclude the board that oversees elections should call for a new vote. Republican Mark Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by about 900 votes. The board last week refused to certify the results because an unusually high number of absentee ballots were not returned in Bladen County.